Clear

by Nicola Barker

David Blaine sits in his perspex box high above the Thames with TV cameras and journalists all around while individuals are living through their own small dramas down below. Crowds gather daily to watch and perform outrageous acts as they hope for their own moment of fame. Amongst these crowds Adair meets the mysterious Aphra and their lives are slowly drawn together. An amusing story for all those who were obsessed by David Blaine.

Extract

'You probably think it's pathetic,' she mutters, glancing over at me for a moment, then straight back up at Blaine (as if she's driving the car of Blaine - has to keep her eyes on the road at all times), 'but being here while he sleeps, before he wakes, as he wakes ...' She grimaces, 'It just makes everything feel better. Feel whole again. And often - if I concentrate really hard - I can hang on to this feeling for the rest of the day - this quiet, this hopefulness. I can cook and wash and go into work.'